An Olympian’s advice for what to do when you hit a career detour

Three words from her father helped Visa’s Kate Johnson go on after nearly losing her lifelong dream to go to the Olympic Games.

Kate Johnson, a world champion, three-time All-American in rowing and Visa’s current vice president of Global Sponsorship Marketing, was determined to make it to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games after years of training and competition. But six months prior to the Opening Ceremony, Johnson was recovering from yet another rib stress fracture and had yet to earn her spot in the boat. Feeling panic and worry as she faced the prospect of her hard work slipping away, Johnson called her father and his grounding advice made a profound impact on her approach to adversity. In this video, part one of two in a series about Visa’s Olympian employees, Johnson shares her story about the impact of three wor­ds from a parent to a daughter facing failure.

Today, Johnson is an Olympic Games silver medalist and one of Visa’s trusted liaisons to the International Olympic Committee.

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